The Feynman Lectures on Physics
by VGWrighte
Summary: 2nd in the Adventures of Nerdy Carter and First Sergeant O'Neill. Prequel to "Redecorating" of "Alternatives." First Sergeant Jack O'Neill suddenly finds Doctor Samantha Carter extremely attractive.
1. Attraction

The Feynman Lectures on Physics

Based upon Stargate: SG-1.

Well, I did it again. I decided to take one of my chapters from "**Alternatives**" and turn it into a real story. This one is based on **Chapter V: "Redecorating."** It is a prequel. Please read that as well, please.

For those of you who don't care to go read it: this takes place in an alternate reality where General West is still in charge, **Daniel Jackson is a Major** in the Air Force and the leader of SG-1. **Jack O'Neill is a First Sergeant** in the Air Force, and on SG-1 (FYI: the First Sergeant is often called "First Shirt" or "Shirt", or so Wikipedia tells me, I'm the Navy so I really don't know). The Samantha Carter in this story is basically the** "Nerdy Carter" from Moebius**.

The Feynman Lectures on Physics is a series of textbooks based on the lectures of Professor Richard P. Feynman at the California Institute of Technology from 1961-1962. Because of the rapid development of physics during that time, the entire college physics introductory system needed to be redesigned. Today, collegiate introductory physics are generally taught based on Feynman's lectures.

Onto the story.

Chapter One: The Interaction of Two Oppositely Charged Particles, or "Attraction"

- . - - - . -

If he was being completely honest, which was usually something he hated to do, he never ever would have imagined himself interested in Samantha Carter. She was about as confident as a chipmunk. Not a squirrel, even they had some gumption now and again. She barely spoke, even when spoken to. And when she did, you couldn't really hear her. She just couldn't speak up, with some determination in her voice.

He thought she was a generally attractive woman, not smoking hot, but not an eyesore. But she did have those ridiculous thick rimmed glasses, if anything made her look like a nerd, it was that. And she was smart. It's not that he preferred his women dumber than paint, but he'd never been crazy about women who did long division in their heads for the hell of it.

But now, things were different. He knew exactly when it happened, too. They were on some desert planet, and it was hot as hell. They were all chugging down water like there was no tomorrow. So, finally, Major Jackson had had enough and told everyone to strip off their blouses and just stick with their skivvy shirts, tactical vests, and war belts with a pair of canteens.

As he was stashing his blouse with the rest of his gear, he looked up at Carter. She had poured a little bit of water in her hand and was combing it back into her hair. She hadn't put on her vest yet, allowing him to admire her figure in just her skivvy shirt. He couldn't remember seeing anything that sexy. The image was still ingrained in his mind.

Samantha Carter in desert camouflage pants, boots, and a skivvy shirt, with a war belt around her waist and a 9mm Berretta strapped to her thigh, a light sheen of sweat on her skin and leaning back at the waist slightly, running both hands through her hair.

Major Jackson clapping him on the shoulder stopped his staring and shut his mouth, which had been resting on his shoes, he was sure. "Ready to move, Shirt?" he asked.

Jack stood up, checking his gear. "Yes, Sir."

"Carter? Teal'c?" the Major said, walking over to them.

Teal'c hadn't been wearing a blouse, blouses being impractical due to the size of his biceps. Teal'c simply nodded. Carter hitched her canteen back on her war belt and picked up her vest, slid it on, and zipped it up. Jack found himself staring again. He shook his head back to reality and followed the Major. He usually brought up the rear and walked a distance behind Carter, that time he decided to walk next to her.

After that, he found himself walking next to Carter more. He was sure she noticed. He even caught her looking at him sometimes, just like she caught him staring sometimes. She started talking more, not much more, but enough to notice. He realized that he could listen to her read the phonebook and be interested, no, enraptured (a word she taught him).

And, boy, was he wrong about those glasses? Okay, so it was the "sexy librarian/lab assistant/whatever" stereotype, but . . . Now that he was actually looking and paying attention, sure they made her look nerdy, but they definitely made her look sexy.

She was funny, too. She often made little jokes under her breath. He visited her in her lab a few times a day. He made sure she ate lunch, which she had had the bad habit of skipping. He liked spending time with her.

Now, right this second, he was sitting on a bed in the Infirmary. They had just gotten back from a mission and were getting their Post-Op physicals so they could go home and enjoy the weekend. He was watching her, and waiting for Doctor Fraiser to walk away so he could go talk to her. He didn't have plans for this evening and he knew she didn't either, but he was determined to change that.

Ha! At last, Doc walked away and he made his move. He was standing in front of her before she finished buttoning her blouse. When they didn't go on missions, she wore regular clothes. She was a big fan of button up blouses and sweaters. But, seeing as they just got back from a mission, she was still in BDUs. She looked up, more than slightly surprised to see him standing so close to her. "First Sergeant."

"So, Samantha," it was the first time he'd used her given name. He liked it. "Have any plans this evening?"

She slid off the bed next to him and started out of the room. He was pretty sure that his use of her first name made her uncomfortable. She was probably headed towards her lab, her little safe haven in the Mountain. "This evening?" she said, a nervous waiver in her voice. "Nothing. Why?"

"Because," he said, falling into step next to her. "I was thinking that you and I could get some dinner." They stopped in front of the elevator.

She stared at him, wide eyed. "What?"

He reached around her and hit the button, realizing she was too shocked to move.

He flashed his teeth, something between a smirk and a smile. "We could have dinner. Tonight. Together."

The elevator arrived and she almost jumped inside, as if he wouldn't follow her. He did, and pressed the button for the floor her lab was on.

He heard her swallow. "Like a date?"

He smiled at her again, but didn't let it fade. "Yeah, like a date."

"Wow."

He furrowed his brow a little, unsure how to take that.

"It's just that . . . you're - you're not the kind of guy I usually attract."

He took a step closer to her, which she immediately retreated from. He met her eyes with a powerful gaze. "You're attracting me now."

The doors open and she slipped past him again, practically running to her lab. He followed her casually. He stood on the opposite side of her lab table, giving her some space. He knew he was making her uncomfortable. "What do you say?" he asked.

She didn't answer for a second. Her mouth hung open, but no words came out. "Um," she finally said. "What would we talk about?" she asked.

He leaned over the table. "Physics," he said softly.

She swallowed hard again. From the look on her face, he knew that he was the first one to ever make physics sound sexually enticing before. "Really?"

He smirked again. "Yeah. You can tell me all about _attraction_."

"What kind?" she whispered, slowly leaning forward almost as if in some kind of trance.

"There's more than one kind?" he asked, that excited him. He wasn't sure why, but that definitely excited him.

She nodded, her eyes wide. "Gravitational, electromagnetic . . ."

His smirk grew into a smile. "See, we'll have plenty to talk about. Pick you up at seven?"

She inhaled slowly and nodded.

He turned and left, pausing at the door. "Just wear something casual. We may be talking about physics, but you're not going to a symposium or anything."

She nodded again. "Okay," she replied, almost as an afterthought.

He was grinning like an idiot to himself as he made his way around the base. He had a date with Samantha Carter. She was going to teach him about physics. He had never, in his life, been this excited about school. But, then again, he had never been hot for teacher before.

- . - . -

Well, it was official. She needed new clothes. She needed a lot of new clothes. Hell, she needed an entirely new wardrobe.

Sam stood in front of her closet in jeans and a bra, staring at her shirts. She didn't want to wear any of them. She wanted to wear something kind of nice, but still a little casual. She glanced at her watch again, First Sergeant O'Neill would be there soon. She had changed her shirt four times, and was now not wearing one, and her date - she stifled a giggle, her _date_ - was almost there.

She had never been on a date before. Well . . . not a _real_ date . . . with a boy. She had gone out to dinner a few times, but it had never been just her and a man, and ordering pizza to the library at 1.30 in the morning didn't count as a date. She thought about Jack O'Neill. A sexy man at that. She blushed. Hey, she was a grown woman. She was allowed to refer to a man as "sexy." And he was. Jack O'Neill was sexy.

She suddenly realized she was grinning to herself. She was staring at her closet, without a shirt and grinning like an idiot. She shook her self back into reality and finally decided on a shirt. She reached for a plain, dark blue, button up blouse and reached for a white camisole. She then spent the next three minutes buttoning and unbuttoning the shirt, deciding what looked better.

She decided on neither, and dropped the blouse on her bed. She pulled out a sweater and put it on. But now, of course, her camisole didn't match. So, she stripped the sweater over her head and went searching for a shirt to go underneath it. She found one.

Just then her doorbell rang. She froze, not knowing what to do. She slid the sweater on and grabbed her boots, the knee high ones that zipped up the sides. She hadn't been gusty enough to by the stilettos, but she was proud of herself for buying them. She hurried to the door and opened it.

Jack O'Neill stood on her doorstep with his hands in his pockets and a smirk on his face. He wore a long sleeve black shirt over jeans. "Hey," he said.

She swallowed hard. Sam didn't know what it was about him, but he was constantly leaving her without anything to say. She forced a smile, which she knew looked ridiculous, and gestured for him to come in. "Just - ah - give me a minute." She escaped down the hall and turned off the lights.

She came back to see him seated on the arm of the couch casually. She sat down on one of the chairs in the living room and put on her boots. Zipping them up and pulling her pants legs down over top of them, she knew he was staring at her. She looked up and met his gaze.

Whenever he looked at her, there was a strange power in his eyes. He was attracted to her.

She stood, trying to ignore it. "Ready?" she asked, feigning as much confidence as she could, which wasn't much.

He smirked again. "Yeah, let's go."

She followed him out, pausing to lock the door behind her. She turned to follow him to his truck, but he had been standing directly behind her and she almost bumped into him. She swallowed hard again. He noticed and chuckled. Sam followed Jack out to his truck, and he opened the passenger door for her.

There was relative silence on the way to the restaurant. She just didn't know what to say. They parked, and he opened her door for her again. He then offered her his arm. She took a deep breath and took it. He told the hostess that it was just the two of them and she led them to a table for two in the middle of the restaurant.

Their waiter came over and took their drink orders. He got a beer. She ordered a diet coke. He furrowed his brow. "Diet?" he asked.

She shrugged. "I like the taste," she admitted. She did. There was something weird about it that she liked.

Once their waiter was gone, he leaned in close. She did the same, she didn't really know why. "So," he said in that incredible tone - that "forbidden fruit" tone - he had used in her lab. "Tell me about _attraction_."

"What?" As soon as the word came out of her mouth, she knew she had to stop doing that. She needed to start thinking before she spoke around him. She was really beginning to sound like an idiot.

"You know, _attraction_." Oh my God, she loved the way he said that. "You said there was more than one kind. Gravity and magnets?"

She smiled. "Gravitational and electromagnetic, yes," she said. Sam detected a bit of confidence in her own voice. He was on her turf now. Okay, so she knew what he was doing. He was getting her to talk about something she knew about - knew _a lot _about - in order to make her more comfortable with him. That was okay. Knowing about something didn't nullify its effectiveness. Just because she knew about Van der Waals forces didn't mean her molecules were going to fly apart. "With gravitation, attraction is the common name for the force between two massive bodies."

"Massive?" he repeated questioningly.

"Yes," she said. "A body with mass. The attraction is proportional to the product of their masses and the inverse of the squared distance between them."

He seemed to consider it for a second.

Sam pulled a pen from her purse and unrolled her silverware from napkin. She wrote the general equation on the napkin. She then explained what each variable was.

He considered it a second more.

Their waiter returned with their drinks and Jack asked for more napkins. He smiled at her as he did.

"I don't know if I like that one. _Massive bodies_ aren't exactly what I was hoping to deal with. What else you got?"

"Electromagnetic attraction," she said. Sam wondered why he didn't like gravity or massive bodies.

"What's that?"

"Electromagnetic attraction is the interaction between two oppositely charged particles."

"Oppositely charged, you say?"

She nodded. "Yup."

"Like us, you mean."

She smiled through her blush, and nodded. That was why he didn't like _massive bodies_, he was trying to make everything about the two of them. She looked down at the napkin, trying to cool the skin of her face. She wrote the equation for the force of two point charges. She pointed to a specific term. "This kind of attraction, like gravitation, has a multiplying coefficient that contributes to the magnitude of the force."

"So, they're not all the same."

"Well, the coefficient is always the same for electromagnetics. But this coefficient is different than the one for gravitation. The electromagnetic force is much greater than the gravitational force, simply because the coefficient is so much larger."

"What about that one, on the bottom?" he asked.

"Again, like gravitation, the attraction increases as distance between them decreases."

"Decreases squared," he corrected.

She looked up at him through her lashes. "Decreases squared," she agreed.

He seemed to scoot a little closer to the table, maybe not, but that's what it felt like. "So the closer two things are, physically, the more attraction exists between them."

She swallowed hard and nodded.

They were interrupted by their waiter, causing the blush to return to her face. He took their order and told them he'd bring it out as soon as it was ready.

"So," Jack asked once the waiter had left them again, "what happens when two things are attracted?"

"The same thing that happens to anything when a force acts upon them."

"Which is what?" he leaned forward again.

"Change in momentum with respect to time. But, since particles can't randomly change mass at will, they experience acceleration, or a change in velocity with respect to time."

"So, they speed up or slow down."

She smiled. "Yes. But, for completeness sake, velocity is a magnitude _and_ a direction." He didn't answer, but she was sure - from the look on his face - that he didn't fully understand. She flipped the napkin over and drew a vector line. She labeled its length. "Velocity is how fast something is going, but also the direction it is going in."

"It has to be both?"

"That's what a vector is. Magnitude _and_ direction."

"So, force is a vector?" She nodded. "And right now, there's one going from here," he pointed to himself, "to here," he pointed to her. "And about, two feet long."

She smiled. "Technically speaking, there is a gravitational attraction between the two of us, as well as an electromagnetic force. We just can't feel it because they are negligible when compared to the other forces acting on us."

"Like that other attractive force."

She nodded.

"I absolutely feel that one. It is definitely changing my momentum. Not my mass or speed, but definitely the direction I am heading in."

They ate their dinner when it came, enjoying a nice playful discussion. She taught - well told, he may or may not have been retaining much of it - more about physics, but she was comfortable enough to stay from her subject of choice. She did like him.

He wasn't as _intimidating_ as she originally thought. He was engaging and he was interested as hell in her. She had never met anyone who seemed fascinated by every word that came out of her mouth. Well, that wasn't true. There was one student in one of the physics courses she had been a graduate instructor for. He fawned over everything she said. But she hadn't counted him then, and certainly wasn't counting him now.

Even after they had finished their meals and he paid the check, they sat and talked for a while.

She was in the middle of explaining "spooky action at a distance" of point charges when the expression on his face changed. "What?" she asked, the comfort she developed over their meal fading fast.

"Why don't we go back to your place to talk for a while."

She froze. Any and all comfort she may have built up in that conversation vanished with a poof. Going back to anyone's place to talk rarely involved talking. Not that she knew from experience, it was just one of those things that everyone knew. She didn't know how to respond.

"No," he gestured somewhat wildly. "I meant to _talk_. Really."

She blushed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to assume . . ."

"No, don't be sorry. Don't ever be sorry, that's my job."

She smiled. "Alright, let's go."

"Really?" he sounded surprised that she agreed so readily.

She nodded, standing up. She took his arm again and they made their way out to his truck. When they arrived at her house and she let them in, she stood around uncomfortably.

"Listen, Sam," he said. "I can go home if you're uncomfortable."

"No," she said, probably a little too quickly. "I'm just not good at this."

He took a few steps towards her and took her hands in his. "You're plenty good at this." He held her gaze with a soft smile. He led her to the couch and sat down. She sat down next to him, hands folded nervously in her lap.

He put his arm on the couch behind her casually, but he didn't touch her. She looked at him and took a deep breath. Throwing caution to the wind, she leaned into him and he let his arm drop around her.

"That attraction must be really big right now," he said.

"What?" she looked up at him.

"The distance between us is really small, and I'm feeling a force trying to change my speed."

Feeling a sudden boldness, she shifted a little, facing him just a little more. "What would happen if you didn't fight that force?"

"I think I might kiss you," he said quietly.

"I think I would like that."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Bringing his other hand to cup her face he lowered his and brushed his lips across hers. Sam had only been kissed a handful of times in her life, but none of them had ever compared to that moment, right then. She snaked her hand up behind his neck and, for a second, didn't let him withdraw. When she did, he was grinning at her. She grinned back for a second before settling back into the crook of his arm.

They didn't talk for the next half hour, maybe more. The chimes of the mantle clock alerted them to the late hour and he told her he should head home. She walked him to the door, where he paused.

"This was great. We should definitely do it again some time."

"I had fun," she said.

Again, he cupped her cheek with his hand and brought his face to hers. This time, she moved to him for a sweet kiss. When he pulled away, he was grinning again. "See you Monday."

"Bye." From her doorway, she watched him walk out to his truck. When he started to back out of her driveway, she closed and locked the door behind her. She headed towards her bedroom, turning off lights. A smile stuck on her face.

The force coefficient must have been enormous, because even as the distance between them increased, she could feel an incredible force of attraction.

- . - - - . -

~~ Stay tuned for Chapter Two ~~


	2. Equilibrium

The Feynman Lectures on Physics

Based upon Stargate: SG-1

Chapter II: State of Equal Rest or Balance Due to Equal Action of Opposing Forces, or "Equilibrium"

- . - - - . -

Jack lay in his favorite La-Z-Boy chair. His arms were wrapped around his favorite physicist, Samantha Carter, who lay back against his chest. She had intertwined their fingers. She liked doing that, holding his hand, he'd learned in their few months of dating. Pretty much every chance they got, they were holding hands.

It was such an innocent gesture, but it meant the world to her, so it meant the world to him. She was a hand holder. Sure, he had liked holding hands as much as the next guy, but ever since he noticed that Sam was a hand holder, he noticed he was one too.

They were watching some movie that she claimed to love. Well, they were earlier. He stopped paying attention, instead focusing on the blonde in his arms, and he was pretty sure she had fallen asleep. That was alright.

Originally, their plan had been to go out to dinner, but when he had gotten to her place, he could tell she was exhausted. She tried to pretend that she wasn't, but he could see through her. So, they went through the drive-thru and he took her back to his place.

They ate their burgers and then she climbed onto his chair with him, like she always did. In addition to being a hand holder, Samantha Carter was a cuddle-er, but that was okay. He liked cuddling with her.

They had fallen into a bit of a pattern since they started dating. Sam called it "equilibrium," saying that all forces acting were equal and opposite. It meant that she was comfortable with _them_. He had to admit, he was pretty damn comfortable, especially at times like these, cuddling together with his arms around her and holding hands.

A vibration startled him and he moved a little, searching for the source. It was on his thigh. Sam jumped as well. "What is?" she looked around, confused and groggy, "oh," she realized. She let go of his hands and partially rolled over and put her hand in her back pocket to pull out her cell phone.

"Hello?" she answered with a yawn.

Jack could hear the voice on the other side of the phone. _"Sam?"_

"Oh, hi Dad," she answered, leaning back into Jack's chest. He slung his arms back around her, leaning back into his comfortable position in his chair.

_"Did I wake you? It's eight thirty."_

Sam stretched a little against him. "Yeah, it's been a long couple of days."

_"Why don't you come let me in?"_

Sam bolted upright, all signs of sleep gone from her. "You're at my house?"

_"Yeah, aren't you here? Your car's here."_

"Umm," Sam's voice waivered. "No. I'm not."

_"Where are you?"_ Even through the phone, Jack could hear the suspicion in General Carter's voice, and to be honest, Jack was about as nervous as Sam. This was not how he wanted to meet her father, the Major General.

"I'm . . . um . . . at a friend's place. We had take-out and I fell asleep. It's okay, you stay there and I'll have him drop me off."

_"Him?"_ the general's voice rose.

"Dad, we'll see you in fifteen minutes." Sam hung up on her father. She turned in Jack's lap. "This isn't exactly how I planned for you two to meet," she said with a nervous expression that showed her teeth but was definitely _not_ a smile.

"Yeah, me neither," he replied truthfully. Neither of them moved. No one knew about their relationship, and they liked it that way.

"Come on," she said, getting off him and pulling him to his feet. "We shouldn't keep the General waiting."

They drove to Sam's house in a comforting quiet. He pulled into her drive, behind her father's vehicle. He was leaning on the hood with his arms crossed casually. Sam looked at him. "I'll get out first, take your time, a little, not too much time . . ."

Jack smiled. "I'll count to three." Well, it was nice to know that she was more nervous about him meeting her dad than he was.

Sam smiled nervously before jumping out of his truck and walking over to her father. "Dad!" she wrapped her arms around him. He did the same and kissed her cheek.

"Do I get to meet your friend?" he asked.

She smiled nervously and held her hand out towards Jack. "Dad, this is Jack O'Neill. Jack, my dad, Jacob Carter."

"It's nice to finally meet you, Sir," he said, walking over from his truck. He would have offered his hand to the General, but didn't because he didn't think he would take it.

General Carter considered him carefully for a second before turning back to his daughter. "Jack O'Neill? As in, the _First Sergeant_ O'Neill you work with?"

"Yes, Sir," Jack said, stepping up next to Sam, almost taking a defensive position.

"I suppose Sam's told you about me."

"A little, Sir."

General Carter watched him carefully. Jack knew that he was about to get the _what are your intentions with my daughter_ speech. For a split second, he wondered if General Carter had ever given it before, but the thought vanished when he realized he didn't really care. "So you know that I'm in the Air Force, as well."

"Yes, Sir."

"Did she tell you what I did before I was promoted to general staff?"

"Yes, Sir. Sam told me you were a fighter pilot during Vietnam." Jack knew that the General was trying to get him to bend, but he held his ground. He didn't glance at Sam, even though he was sure she looked terrified.

"That's right. What did you do in the Air Force before you started analyzing deep space radar telemetry?" There was more than a touch of condescension in his voice. It was obvious General Carter didn't think some random desk jockey was good enough for his daughter. For having a brilliant daughter as a scientist, he didn't seem to think very highly of them.

"Actually, Sir, I don't analyze telemetry. My position in Cheyenne Mountain is more about troop management. But before I was stationed here in the Springs, I was a parachute jumper. I was removed from the active special forces when I injured my knee a few years ago."

General Carter tried to hide his surprise. Jack wanted to laugh, the man obviously hadn't expected _that_. Then he smiled at Sam. "Well, we don't have to stand out here in the driveway all night."

"Oh, right," she turned towards the door and let everyone inside.

The General coughed falsely. "Sam, do you mind getting me a glass of water?" he asked.

"Sure, Dad." Jack could tell she knew he didn't need one, but she fled from the room anyway.

When she disappeared General Carter turned back to Jack with a hard look on his face. "What are you doing with my daughter, Sergeant?"

"Excuse me, Sir?" By deliberately calling him "Sergeant" instead of "First Sergeant" Jack knew he meant the question as both threatening and derogatory.

The General took a step forward. "Let me rephrase. What the _hell_ are you doing with my daughter?"

"At the risk of sounding juvenile, Sir, I'm dating her," he said in the light, yet serious tone he preferred to speak in.

"Don't get smart with me, O'Neill," General Carter snapped.

"Of course not, Sir. My mistake," Jack corrected himself without changing his tone.

"That is my only daughter," the General leaned forward, menacingly, "and, so help me God . . ."

He never finished his statement because Sam came back into the room. He turned and smiled at her. "Thank you," he took a sip from his glass.

"Sam, I think I'm gonna head home," Jack said.

She gave him an apologetic look. "You don't have to."

He stepped past General Carter, and stood face-to-face with Sam. "I know, I'm just going to give you some time with your dad. I know you haven't seen him in a while." He kissed her cheek. "I'll call you tomorrow." He walked towards the door, but paused. "It was good to meet you, Sir. I hope to see you again, soon."

- . - . -

It was Tuesday night and Jack sat in his favorite La-Z-Boy with his favorite physicist sitting between his legs and resting back against his chest. His arms were wrapped tight around her, and their fingers were intertwined.

Sam's father had left that morning and after work she came over with an "apology pizza," as she called it.

"I'm sorry Dad acted like that. I talked to him about it," she had said when she got there.

He smiled at her, taking the pizza and locating some plates and a beer for her. "It's not your fault."

She followed him into the kitchen. "That doesn't make it okay."

He put down the pizza and slung his arms low around her waist. "He just wants to protect you from all the sleazy enlisted guys who aren't good enough for you."

"Like you?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

He nodded, leaning in. "Exactly like me." She popped up on her toes to kiss him.

After their dinner, he sat down in his chair and she climbed onto him. He pulled the lever and rocked them backwards. He handed her the remote from the little table next to his chair and wrapped his arms around her, placing a kiss on the top of her head.

She channel surfed for a little until she found something about World War I weapons, then put the remote down and interlaced their fingers.

That had been at least an hour ago, now the show was onto weapons of World War II.

Jack kept thinking about Sam's dad. The man had the right to be concerned about Jack. For all he knew, Jack was some smarmy enlisted man who thought he was a god because he knew how to shoot a gun. The General loved his daughter and just wanted to protect her, well Jack loved her too.

Every muscle in Jack's body tightened simultaneously. Jack loved her. Jack loved Sam. Jack O'Neill loved Sam Carter.

"What?" she asked, she had felt him tense, but was somewhat disinterested.

"I love you," he said, the words somehow making the idea seem more real.

She tensed as well. She didn't move for a second, but then let go of his hands and turned to face him. "Say it again," she breathed.

"I love you," he repeated, the words sounding almost exactly the same.

She smiled. "I love you, too." She scooted up to his face and placed a long, smooth kiss on his lips.

He nibbled on her lips as she pulled back. She then turned and settled back into her place against his chest and laced their fingers again, holding his arms around her tight.

"I love you," he repeated again.

She squeezed his hands. "I love you."

- . - . -

Jack watched the man turn Sam, while offering to take her to lunch. He fumed for a second, but let it happen. At least, he let it happen until the man's arm around her shoulder started to slide down. Jack jumped into action and grabbed the man's wrist before it got to her lower back or - heaven forbid - even further.

"Excuse me, _Doctor_ McKay," he said, pulling the man around to face him. "I don't know how they do things where you're from, but here at Cheyenne we don't touch things that don't belong to us and we keep our hands to ourselves."

McKay smiled that arrogant smile, "Sure," and moved to keep going.

Jack tightened his grip and wrenched McKay's arm a little harder, causing pain. "Do you understand?" he asked.

McKay nodded, a touch of fear in his gaze.

Jack smiled darkly and released him. "Good. I guess I'll just accompany you to lunch then, just to make sure you learn our customs. You know, thanking the mess staff, using a napkin, _those_ kinds of things."

Sam looked up at him with gratitude. He shot her a quick smile before stepping between her and McKay and heading towards the cafeteria with his hand on McKay's shoulder, pushing him along.

After lunch, McKay was thoroughly uncomfortable and more than a little scared, so Jack continued to follow him around until Major Jackson called him to help him with some fitness reports. Near the middle of the afternoon, Jack made his way to Sam's lab, grateful to see her alone.

"Hey," he said.

She looked up and smiled, glad to see him. "Hey."

"McKay give you any more trouble?" he asked, walking over to her.

She shook her head. "No. He was here for a while, but left as soon as we were done."

"Good." He leaned back against her lab table next to her.

"Thanks," she said, bumping his shoulder with hers.

"What kind of guy would I be if I let someone threaten your honor?"

She smiled at him and tilted her head up to kiss him. He pivoted around so she was between him and the lab table and kissed her. She put both hands on either side of his neck and held him close to her. This was the first time they kissed in the Mountain, he liked it. It almost felt like they were breaking the rules. He did enjoy fighting the man.

After a while she released his lips and pulled him into an embrace. He held her tight.

"If you touches you . . ." he said.

She pulled back and looked up at him. "I'll tell you."

Jack pulled her back to his chest tightly, thinking about McKay and others like him. He didn't know what he would do to someone if they ever touched her. Just thinking about it made him angry. He didn't want to have to find out what he would do.

He released her and kissed her lips once more. "I'll let you get back to work."

She squeezed his hand. "Thanks for being my knight in shining armor."

He flashed her a smile at her doorway. "Always."

- . - . -

Jack helped her remove the blouse she had worn to dinner, leaving the dark red spaghetti-strap skivvy shirt-thing she had on. He leaned forward slightly and she let him push her back into the couch. She brought her legs up so her was lying between them and tilted her head back as he kissed her neck. One of her hands immediately came to his head, tangling her fingers in his hair. He barely heard her glasses clattering onto the coffee table.

"Tell me about this," he said without removing his lips from her skin.

"About what?" she asked, straining to form words into a coherent sentence.

"About what I'm doing to your neck." He, again, didn't take his lips from her neck.

"W-W," she stuttered into a groan, "What exactly are you doing to my neck?"

He felt her other hand find a position on his lower back and the one in his hair flexed. "Sucking. I'm sucking on your neck."

She moaned again.

"So, Doctor," he pulled back a little, "explain the _physics_ of that." Jack placed a kiss on her neck and moved his way down to her chest. He found a place low enough that it would be covered by most of her shirts.

He knew her wardrobe quite well, and what could and could not be seen. He couldn't help but take inventory of her outfit and every patch of skin he could (or could not) see every time he looked at her.

She let out a wonderful sound, something between a moan and a grunt, as he returned his lips to her skin. "It's what happens when you apply a pressure differential," she said, her words under great strain.

"Which means what?" he asked, forming the words against her chest.

"Difference," she gasped, then took a long deep breath. "A pressure difference."

"What's," he asked, using the opportunity to gulp some air, "pressure?"

"Force per unit area."

He smiled against her skin and ran his teeth over the mark he was making. "I already know what force is. Does pressure have another definition?"

"You're learning fast," she gulped air. For a second, she sounded extremely proud of him, but that disappeared when he turned her attention back to his lips on her skin and not the words coming out of them. "A lot of things in physics have more than one definition. Pressure can also be defined by 'P' equals rho 'R' 'T'."

He murmured his understanding. "What do those stand for?"

Her fingers flexed against his skull. "'P' is Pressure." He murmured again, she continued. "Rho is the density."

"What's density?"

"Mass per unit volume," she breathed.

"Nah, I don't like that one." He licked his mark on her skin. "What's next?"

"'R' is the universal gas constant."

"Like a multiplying coefficient?" he asked.

Her hand on his back shifted upwards to clutch his shoulder blade. "Exactly."

He shook his head a little. "What's the next one?"

"I think you'll like this one," she said before releasing a moan.

He smiled against her skin again. "Really?"

"Yeah," she breathed. "'T' is temperature."

He nipped her skin before moving a little lower, right to the line of the little shirt-thing she had on. "What's temperature?" he asked before latching onto the creamy skin.

"It's got a strange definition, but it's basically our intuitive understanding on hot and cold."

"Like, it's really hot right now, which means high temperature," he said.

Both of her hands flexed. "Exactly," she moaned.

"So what's the technical definition?" he asked, sliding his tongue under the top of her shirt-thing.

She didn't answer for a second, her hands gripped him tight.

"Sam?"

"Oh, right," she loosened her grip as she remembered what they had been talking about. "It's the measure of the entropy or disorder of a system."

"Tell me more."

"In an irreversible reaction, entropy always increases," she said, the breath almost completely gone from her voice.

He slipped his hands down to her waist and started working on her belt.

"Jack."

"Sam," he groaned.

"Jack, stop," she said. That time, he heard the inflection in her voice and stilled his hands, looking up. She had lifted her head off the armrest of the couch and was staring at him. Every muscle in her body was tense, the nails of every one of her fingers digging into him, he had made her uncomfortable - not for the first time. But, for the first time, there was fear in her eyes.

He almost jumped off her, rolling onto the floor and kneeling in front of her. "Sam, I'm . . ." for once, it was he who had nothing to say. He stared at his hands, the ones that had just been taking advantage of her.

She sat up and took his face in both her hands. "Jack," she said softer. It was clear to him that she was looking for some comforting words, but could not find them.

He closed his eyes and shook his head. "It's okay that you're not ready, and I shouldn't've . . . I'm sorry." He stood up, causing her hands to fall away from his face. "I'm gonna go home now."

She grabbed his arm. "Stay."

"I'm not pressuring you into anything you don't want to do. I won't do that to you," it was more of a promise to himself than to her. He still couldn't look at her.

She stood up and pulled him to her, taking both his hands in hers. "I'm know." He was surprised by the confidence in her voice, usually talking about this kind of stuff made her nervous and uncomfortable.

Sam smiled softly. She bent down to come up at his lips while he was looking down and she kissed him softly and let his forehead rest against hers. "Stay a little longer," she whispered. "Please."

"Sam, I don't want to force . . . I mean, we don't have to . . ."

She maneuvered him down onto the couch. "I know, I just want you to stay a little while longer." He put his feet up on the couch and spread his legs a little to give her some room to lie down on top of him like she always did. She leaned her back against his chest and pulled his arms around her. She intertwined their fingers, like she always did.

"I still love you," she said, not giving him a chance to start brooding.

He kissed the top of her head and squeezed her hands in his. "Don't ever let me do anything you don't want. If there's ever anything . . ."

She shushed him gently and placed a kiss on the back of his hand before settling his arms back around her.

He tightened his grip on her and didn't loosen it. "If I ever hurt you . . ."

She released his hands and turned over in his arms, crawling up his length a little. "You won't." She kissed his lips. "You just got a little excited. It's okay."

Even looking into her eyes then, he couldn't banish the image of her fear.

"I like it when you kiss me," she said softly, as if she was embarrassed to hear the words come out of her own mouth. She probably was embarrassed to say it.

"I like kissing you," he admitted quietly.

She smiled at him again. "Then stay, and hold me a little while."

"I love you, too," he finally reciprocated the statement she had made minutes ago.

She must have been satisfied with his answer, because rested her head on his chest. She tucked one arm beneath her but reached out for his hand. He brought his hand up and intertwined their fingers. "I love you so much," he said, tightening his arm around her.

She shushed him again but remained silent.

Her trust in him was . . . He didn't deserve it, that was for sure. Yet, she had made it clear that she trusted him. He wanted her so bad, but as she lay in his arms, all he could think about was making her feel safe. Maybe he could trust himself not to hurt her. He just had to keep her safe, and wanting to keep her safe was easy.

The next thing Jack knew, there was a bright light in his eyes. He squinted as he opened his eyes, seeing the light pouring through the large window. He squinted, staring at it (if it was possible to squint and stare at the same time). He didn't understand why it was bright outside, unless . . .

Then it hit him, it was morning. He had fallen asleep at Sam's house, on Sam's couch, underneath Sam. Their fingers were still twined together but his other arm was wrapped around her tightly. He smiled at her. He'd never seen her sleep, not like this.

He caught her snoozing in her lab, or dozing off world while they were waiting for something, but never like this. He had never seen her sleeping a real night's sleep, without a care in the world.

He wanted to marry her.

The thought popped into his head suddenly. So suddenly, he almost jumped, surprising himself. Marriage. The word tumbled around his mind for a few minutes.

A smile grew across his face. He wanted to marry Samantha Carter. He wanted it to be his job to make her safe. He wanted it to be his job to hold her when she was tired or scared. He wanted to make her completely off limits to anyone who might get hot for his teacher.

She stirred in his arms, and he knew she was waking up. A smile grew on her face before she opened her eyes. But, when she did open those gorgeous eyes of hers, they widened in surprise and embarrassment. "Oh my God," she whispered.

He smiled and tugged her face up to his. "It's okay, I like waking up with you."

Sam's mouth moved, but she didn't say anything.

He kissed her, once. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about."

The look on her face told him that she didn't believe him.

"Well, there might be one thing," he admitted.

"What?" she asked, that familiar nervous waiver in her voice.

"It'd be a little embarrassing if you asked me to stay the night and then didn't offer me breakfast the next morning."

She smiled her _I'm-still-nervous-but-trying-not-to-be_ smile. "Do you want some breakfast?"

He shrugged, feigning disinterest. "I don't know what are we having?" He smirked, to let her know he was joking.

"Well, I've got cereal, or we could make breakfast. Eggs and bacon."

He smiled and kissed her again, leaning forward as a cue for her to get up. "Sounds delicious."

He watched her head down the hall towards her bedroom. _ Oh yeah_, he thought to himself, _we're gettin' married. If she'll have me, we're gettin' married."_

- . - - - . -

~~ Stay tuned for chapter three, the finale ~~


	3. Force

The Feynman Lectures on Physics

Based upon Stargate: SG-1

Chapter III: Influence on a Mass Causing in a Change in Momentum, or "Force"

Author's Note: I know that in the "Alternatives" story, Daniel is single (based on his comment about Freya coming onto him), but just roll with it. Its fanfiction, do you REALLY care that much about continuity?

- . - - - . -

Janet was walking to the door of O'Malley's, her arm intertwined with Daniel's. They paused before the driveway for a truck to pass. It was First Sergeant O'Neill, there was a woman in his car with him.

"Dan, did you see that?" she asked, looking up at her husband.

They had met at college, being in the same ROTC unit and had gotten married shortly after commissioning. She stayed in school to get her medical degree and he applied to be a parachute jumper. Over twelve years of marriage, they'd only lived in the same place for about three. She didn't take the job at the Mountain because Daniel was in the program, but it had been the greatest bonus she could have asked for.

"I did. Shirt's got a date," he said with a smile as they continued on their way in.

"It's about time, if you ask me." She said before thanking him as he opened the door for her and followed her in. They waved at the hostess, who knew them by face, if not by name as well, and showed themselves to the bar where several SGC personnel already were.

"General!" Dan greeted General West, who was enjoying a beer with Lieutenant Colonel Harriman, Teal'c and Major Reynolds.

"Major, Doctor," the General greeted them in kind, "glad you made it out this evening."

Janet smiled. "We don't turn down dinner on the Air Force."

The General opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by Colonel Harriman. "Oh my God," he said, staring past Janet and Dan towards the door.

Janet turned and her mouth dropped open. First Sergeant O'Neill had arrived with Sam. Now that wouldn't have been _too_ unusual, except that he had his arm around her. They were making their way over with smiles on their faces. Sam's smile faded slightly, no doubt at their expressions, but O'Neill's grew.

"Good evening, Gentlemen," he said in a typical grandiose manner. "Ma'am," he nodded to her.

"Good evening, Shirt," Dan said in a flat voice, obviously stunned.

Thankfully, the waiter came up and interrupted the stunned silence. "Can I get anyone anything?"

"I'll take a beer," Dan said.

"Me too," Janet replied.

"Two here," Shirt said, holding up two fingers.

Janet glanced back at him, he had just ordered for Sam. Were they really there together, as in _together_?

After a short while of standing around, they all found some tables and ordered dinner. Janet and Dan sat in a large booth, along with Sam, Shirt, Reynolds, and Teal'c.

Shirt still had his arm around Sam's shoulders. Janet found it hard not to stare. She could tell that Dan was having trouble as well, as was Reynolds. Though, Teal'c seemed to be relatively unaffected, or was just much better at hiding it. She suspected the latter.

After they had eaten and everyone was getting up to form new groups, watch any of the games on the TVs, or play a few rounds of pool, Janet and Sam made their way to the ladies room.

"Um, Sam," Janet said, fixing her hair in front of the mirror.

"Yeah," Sam replied, applying copious amounts of soap to her hands.

"I couldn't help but notice O'Neill's arm around your shoulders." Janet watched Sam's reflection blush.

"Yeah," she replied, seemingly fascinated by washing her hands.

Janet leaned against the counter. "So? Does this mean you two are a thing?"

Sam looked up at her with a smile showing through her blush.

Janet smiled back. "Really?"

Sam nodded.

"I did not see that one coming."

Sam grabbed a few paper towels and dried her hands. "Neither did I."

"What do you guys talk about?" Janet asked, genuinely curious, while following her back to the bar.

Sam smiled an innocent smile that Janet knew not to take innocently. "Physics."

- . - . -

Sam was leaning against one of the tall tables in the bar area, watching one of the football games they were showing. Her beer sat in front of her, not completely finished, but she wasn't much of a beer drinker to begin with and she had already finished one with dinner. She looked up when she heard Jack's voice. He was coming over to her.

"Hey," he whispered in her ear before stepping close behind her and resting both his forearms next to hers on the table.

She tensed. It wasn't that he hadn't touched her like this before, it was that they were in public.

He nuzzled some of her hair out of the way and kissed her neck. She thought he was going to stop at one kiss, he didn't. He continued to suck on her skin.

"Jack," she said in a low tone.

He murmured in response.

"Jack, they're looking at us."

"Let them look," he said softly, continuing to kiss her neck.

She gripped his wrist tightly and he pulled back a little. "I'm making you uncomfortable, aren't I?"

Her head bobbed up and down with an emphatic _yes_.

He moved from behind her to next to her and took one of her hands in his, interlacing their fingers. "Better?" he asked with a gentle smile, one that relayed his apologies.

She nodded slowly, releasing the breath she had been holding. "Yeah."

He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it once, before laying it back on the table. "I can take you home, if you like," he offered.

She glanced around the bar, people were still looking at them, but they were trying to be subtle about it. "No, we can stay a longer."

He smiled and kissed the back of her hand again. "Okay."

She got nervous when he was so . . . _affectionate_ in public. He usually wasn't, at least not in public. She liked it when he kissed her. She was all about his affection, but not public displays of it.

- . - . -

Jack picked up his cell phone, vibrating at his hip. "O'Neill," he answered.

_"First Sergeant O'Neill, this is Eric from Carrington's."_

Jack's breath hitched. "Yes."

_"The item you ordered is in and ready for pick up."_

Jack tried to contain the smile on his face. "Great. I'll be there in a half hour, maybe sooner."

_"Excellent, First Sergeant. We'll see you then."_

Jack took a deep breath and smiled to himself, heading towards the elevator. He pressed the call button and waited, trying to wipe the giddy grin off his face. The elevator doors opened to reveal Major Jackson.

"Shirt, there you are," he stepped out of the elevator. "I've been looking for you. We need to talk."

Jack skirted him and entered the elevator. "Actually, Sir, can it wait? I have a short errand I have to run."

"Right now?"

"I'll be back in an hour."

The Major nodded. "Alright. But you and I need to have a discussion when you get back."

"Yes, Sir. I'll come see you as soon as I get back."

"Don't dawdle," Major Jackson said as the doors closed.

Jack was too preoccupied with his errand to take notice that the Major seemed upset.

Jack made his way to and from Carrington's in record time. The item he had ordered felt heavy in his pocket, despite its actual size and weight. He headed straight towards Major Jackson's office, remember he had wanted to have a discussion. Thinking back on their conversation earlier, the Major had been upset about something and Jack felt he was responsible. He didn't know why.

He knocked on the door and let himself in. Major Jackson looked up. "First Sergeant," he said.

That was another clue. The major rarely called him by his full rank, usually just the customary "Shirt." "You wanted to have a _discussion_, Sir?"

Major Jackson put away the file he was looking at. "I couldn't help but notice, as everyone else did, your very public display of affection towards Doctor Carter on Friday evening."

Jack didn't respond.

The Major stood. "Now, technically, I can't get you for fraternization because she's not in the military. But, I'd rather not have two members of my team . . ." he paused, no doubt thinking how to describe it delicately, "involved in an irresponsible relationship."

"It's not irresponsible, Sir," Jack said quickly, almost blurting out the words.

"You can't honestly think this is a good idea?"

Jack sighed and thought for a second. Major Jackson thought he and Sam were just fooling around, just having some fun, just . . . fraternizing. What would have made him think any different?

It was his job to make sure that his team didn't fall apart. That's what would probably happen if two of them were sleeping together and suddenly broke up or had a falling out. But that wasn't what was happening with him and Sam. After a moment, he pulled the item out of his pocket and handed it to the Major.

Major Jackson took it and opened the small box. As he examined the single diamond flanked by two sapphires, his expression softened. He looked up at Jack, then back to the ring. "She does have pretty eyes, doesn't she?" he asked in a quiet tone.

"The best I've ever seen."

Major Jackson met his gaze. "She's going to say 'yes?'" he asked, snapping the box shut.

Jack smiled and forced a short laugh. "Dear God, I hope so."

The Major handed him back the ring box. "She's going to say 'yes,'" he said, making the statement a fact.

Jack smiled and took the box back.

"That's it, you can go."

"Aye, Sir," Jack turned around and started to leave.

"Jack," he paused at Major Jackson using his given name for the first time. "You better be good to her."

Jack smiled. "I swear on my life, Daniel," he said truthfully.

"Then, congratulations, Shirt."

Jack smiled again. "Thank you, Sir."

Jack headed back towards his office, trying not to grin like a giddy idiot. There was an engagement ring in his pocket, but he needed to get a grip on himself. When he made it back to his office, he looked up a phone number and dialed it.

_"General Carter's office, Lieutenant Marshall speaking, how can I help you?"_

"Yes, Ma'am, this is First Sergeant Jack O'Neill. Is this the General in?"

_"Yes, First Sergeant, he is,"_ she replied.

"Could I speak with him, Ma'am?"

_"May I ask what this call concerns?"_

Jack smiled. "He'll know."

_"I'll patch you through."_

"Thank you, Ma'am."

He waited a moment before he heard General Carter on the other side of the line. _"Carter."_

"Yes, Sir, this First Sergeant O'Neill," Jack said.

_"I know, my aid told me. She also told me that I would know what it's about. That means it's about my daughter. So, what do you have to tell me?"_

"Sir, I regret to have the conversation over the phone, but I wasn't able to fly to Washington any time in the near future. And, frankly, I didn't want to wait."

_"Spill it, O'Neill_."

"Sir, I'm requesting permission to ask your daughter to marry me."

Silence.

Jack was met with silence, which was not encouraging. Not encouraging at all. He wasn't _really_ requesting permission. He was going to ask Sam anyway, but he would have preferred her father's approval.

_"Say again_," General Carter finally said.

"I would like to be your daughter's husband, Sir."

_"That's what I thought you said."_ Again, there was a moment of silence. _"You didn't get her pregnant, did you?"_

"Excuse me, Sir?" Jack couldn't believe he had just heard that. Jack knew that the Carters were old fashioned and, therefore, pregnancy out of wedlock was something that just wasn't done. But he couldn't believe that the General would accuse him of what he considered a dishonorable action, not to mention the fact that he was accusing his daughter as well.

_"Is that why you don't want to wait? My daughter, my little girl, is pregnant?"_ General Carter hissed.

"No, Sir," Jack said forcefully. "She most certainly is not. I didn't want to wait because I am in love with her. And, frankly, _Sir_, I resent the accusation. If you think your daughter is that irresponsible or that she and I are involved in some . . . tawdry affair, perhaps you don't know her as well as you think you do and I shouldn't be asking _you_ for anything."

Again, there was a short silence. Jack could almost hear the General smile.

_"I like you, O'Neill. I know I've been . . . well, I've been an ass to you. I had to make sure that you were a good enough man for her."_

"Did I pass, Sir?"

_"After a call to General West, and what you've said today, you did pass, Jack."_

Jack smiled, relief washing over him. Sam did love her father and his approval would be important to her, so it was important to him. "I do love her, Sir," he said, as if to ensure that General Carter understood.

_"I know you do. Call me Jacob."_

"Jacob."

_"When are you going to ask her?"_

"As soon as I can work up the courage."

- . - . -

Jack lay on his La-Z-Boy with Sam reclined against his chest, a bowl of popcorn on her lap. They were watching the new romantic comedy they rented from the video store. Jack would have preferred to watch that new western with that guy he liked, but she practically squealed when she saw it. How was he supposed to say 'no' to Sam when she was grinning from ear to ear and he had an engagement ring in his pocket?

He mentally grimaced, that ring was still sitting in his pocket, and the woman on his lap was blissfully unaware of its existence. He kind of wanted to make some overly romantic gesture because that was what she expected. She _did_ like all those chick flicks. But that kind of required a speech, and he wasn't much for speeches or eloquent words.

He shifted beneath her, pulling the ring box from his pocket. She shifted with him, but settled back down once he had the box in his hand. He gripped it tightly, trying to think up the right thing to say.

"Sam?" he asked.

She mumbled an absentminded reply.

"Would you do me a favor?" he asked.

"Sure," she said, still paying more attention to her movie than to him.

"Wear this for me?" he held the little box in front of her.

She stared at it for a second, not saying anything. After the longest seconds of his life, she put the popcorn bowl on the table next to the chair and took the box from his hand and opened it. She gasped and turned in his arms, kneeling between his legs, causing the chair to rock forward from its inclined position. She had a big smile on her face.

"If you want to," he added quietly.

Sam nodded. "I do," her eyes widened as soon as the words left her mouth, those _were the words_. "Want to, I mean," she said quickly and then took a deep breath. "I want to, and I will."

He smiled and took the box back, pulling the ring from it and tossing it on the floor. He slipped the ring on her finger. She laughed and kissed him before leaning back a little and examining her hand with a giant grin.

"Let me see," he said.

She held her hand out to him and he smiled. He looked up from her hand to her eyes. "Gorgeous," he whispered. She blushed, but leaned down to kiss him anyway.

He pulled the lever on the chair, swinging them backwards. She let out a small shriek of surprise, but he gripped her tight so she would feel safe. She rested her forearms on either side of his head once the chair settled and kissed him slow.

Leaving his hands on her hips, his kissed Sam back. His fiancé. He kissed his fiancé back. He smiled beneath her lips. They were going to get married.

- . - . - A Suitable Engagement Later

Jack watched Sam hug her father. "Congratulations, kid," the General said.

"Thanks, Dad," she smiled and released him.

"Well, I'm up way past my curfew," he said, stretching his arms to emphasize his point. "Good night everyone."

They all said good night and watched him head towards the elevators of the hotel and head up to his room. After a few minutes, Doctor Fraiser stood.

"Alright, Sam, let's get you out of that dress," she said.

Jack smiled a boyish smile and wiggled his eyebrows. "I thought that was my job."

Sam blushed, Major Jackson chuckled, but Doctor Fraiser glared at him. "I'm not letting you ruin her wedding dress because you can't be patient."

"Don't worry, Janet, I'll keep him down here until you two can extract Doctor Carter from that monstrosity and store it with the proper containment protocols.

Doctor Fraiser smiled and took off her heels, tossing them to the Major. "I'll be back." She helped Sam to her feet and they, too, headed towards the elevators.

Jack watched them leave. He knew, from his first marriage, that simply moving a wedding dress from Point A to Point B was a massive undertaking; just shy of the scale that required heavy machinery and permits. He glanced back at the Major, noticing he was being watched.

"How do you feel, Shirt?" he asked.

Jack inhaled, not knowing how to answer at first. "Like a freshman asking the head cheerleader to homecoming."

"You've done this before," Major Jackson reminded him.

"She hasn't," he said. "She's trusting me with a lot here."

"Doctor Carter trusts you with her life on a regular basis," Teal'c said.

Jack smiled. "That's different."

The Major nodded, his hands fiddling with his wife's little shoes. "Yeah, it is," he agreed.

They sat in silence for the next several minutes. Jack jumped when the elevator doors slid open and Doctor Fraiser emerged.

"The _monstrosity_ has been contained," she announced before taking a seat on the arm of her husband's chair.

Jack didn't move. He just stared at her.

"Shirt," she stage whispered, commanding his attention. "That's your cue."

He smiled, standing up. "Yes, Ma'am." He got in the elevator and pressed the correct button. As the door closed he saw Doctor Fraiser offer Major Jackson her hand and they started to head his way, followed by Teal'c. They would wait for another elevator, he let the doors close.

He started grinning to himself and by the time he was standing in front of the door to the bridal suite, an idiotic grin was plastered across his face. He was married to Samantha Carter.

He used his key to open the door and let himself inside. He immediately kicked off his shoes and hung up his uniform jacket, and loosened his tie. He walked into the room looking for his wife, his smile tweaked, _his wife_.

He found her in the bedroom, standing next to the glass door. She wore an off-white robe that reached mid thigh. He couldn't be certain, but from where he was standing, it looked as if it was made of satin, maybe silk. His smile softened, she looked beautiful.

Jack walked over to her and she turned when he got behind her. She wrapped her arms around his neck loosely, so he slung his arms around her waist. He leaned in and kissed her.

"Jack," she said, pulling herself from his lips. She glanced down her a second before meeting his gaze. "I've never done anything like this before."

"I know," he said quietly. He shifted his arms to hold her hips, gently but firmly. "Just tell me when you need a little force."

"What?" she asked as he slowly danced her over toward the bed.

"Force," he repeated, kissing her neck. "An influence on a body that causes a change in momentum."

She released a small laugh and threaded the fingers of one of her hands into his hair. The other slowly worked the buttons of his shirt.

"And since something can't spontaneously gain or shed mass, it causes a change in velocity." He tugged at the drawstring of her robe, causing it to fall open. He caught a quick glimpse of her lingerie, knowing that he could admire it later. He kissed her lips again. "Change in velocity, also known as acceleration."

She smiled and pushed his shirt off his shoulders, forcing him to release her for a split second so he could shed the shirt. "You mean, just tell you if I want you to slow down or speed up."

He flashed her a patented O'Neill grin. "In layman's terms, yes." He returned his lips to her neck.

"I love _physics_," she whispered into his ear. She said the word much the same way he did when he first asked her out.

"I love _physics_, too," he said, not really talking about physics and he knew she knew he wasn't. He slipped his hands inside her robe.

"Good," she almost moaned. "Because there is so much more for you to learn."

"Like what?"

"We still have most of the Feynman Lectures to go through, but we can start with something easy."

"Like what?" he asked, slowly loosing the ability of speech.

A wicked grin covered her face as she fell back onto the bed and yanked him with her. "Oh, I was thinking something basic. Like _friction_."

- . - FIN - . -


End file.
